Friday, June 19, 2015

Dairy Foods Innovations: IFT Trend #1 = Formulating Breakfast Foods

This is the first of three blogs focused on ingredients, technical sessions and themes that dairy foods formulators should focus on at IFT15--Where Science Feeds Innovation. This annual meeting of the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) takes place in Chicago July 11 to 14. See you there!

Sessions to Attend
Here are some sessions taking place at IFT that should interest anyone involved with the future of the dairy foods industry.

Futurist and Author Mike Walsh will speak on Monday, July 13, from 8:30am to 10:00am. He will share emerging trends and technologies, as well as shifts in consumer behavior, and how these disruptive changes are likely to impact the food industry. For a sneak peak, link HERE.

At IFT booth #709

Breakfast foods are trending with consumers. You can expect for IFT exhibitors to be showcasing their ingredients in all types of breakfast applications. Dairy foods will be part of the menu.

Here are five technical sessions that address fiber and protein, key components of the most important meal of the day.

Session #90: New Process Innovations Leading to Enhanced Dairy Protein Performance and Creation of New Products and Textures (Monday, July 13, 2:15pm to 3:45pm)

Session #109: Translating Protein Science: New Insights on the Importance and Power of Protein (Tuesday, July 14, 10:30am to 12:00pm)

Innovations that Focus on the Breakfast Occassion
According to Laurie Demeritt, CEO, The Hartman Group, almost every sector of the food and beverage industry is intently focused on “the breakfast occasion.” And for good reason, as ongoing tracking of food and beverage occasions by The Hartman Group shows that almost a third (32%) of eating and drinking events occur in the morning.

“America’s cultural transition to a snacking culture is altering consumers’ shopping and eating behaviors and changing the meaning of the breakfast daypart,” she recently stated in a blog. “When we take a deeper look at the 32% of morning meal or snack occasions, we find that consumers describe 15% of these as ‘breakfast,’ 8% as pre-breakfast ‘early morning snacks’ and 9% as post-breakfast ‘morning snack.’

“Whether viewed as morning snack or meal, with about a third of eating occasions occurring in the morning, the cultural transformation of breakfast is unleashing new business opportunities for diverse food and beverage marketers,” she wrote. “The new American weekday breakfast is moving from light, grain-based breakfast foods tied to old notions of nutrition to include snacking and higher-satiety foods that consumers believe will give them sustained energy to cope with an unpredictable schedule.”

For more information on The Hartman Group Eating Occasions Compass, link HERE.

Dairy needs to be part of that breakfast menu, which is recognized by a number of food manufacturers. Surprisingly, dairy processors are slow to hop on board. This is a HUGE opportunity.

The Quaker Oats Co., a subsidiary of PepsiCo Inc., was first to recognize the dairy-breakfast connection and at the end of 2013 introduced the shelf-stable Quaker Breakfast Shake. Each 11.1-fluid-ounce bottle contains 8 grams of whole grain oats, 10 grams of protein, 6 grams of fiber and 200 calories. The protein comes primarily from milk protein isolate. The fiber comes from a combination of whole oat flour, polydextrose and hydrocolloids. Calories are kept low through the use of the high-intensity sweetener sucralose in combination with sugar. To read more about this product, link HERE.

The company continues to lead with innovation in the breakfast segment. At the recent FMI Connect, the company debuted Quaker Real Medleys Granola & Yogurt Blends. The product elevates the breakfast eating experience through a shelf-stable convergence of crunchy granola, real fruits and nuts, and creamy yogurt. Each 2.29-ounce single-serve cup contains dried nonfat yogurt, which becomes creamy yogurt when a half-cup of cold milk is stirred in and the product sits for two minutes. When made according to direction, a serving contains 25 grams of whole grains, 10 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber, all for under 300 calories. In addition to the dried yogurt, whey and whey protein concentrate contribute to the protein content. There are three varieties: Apple Cinnamon, Raspberry Pecan and Strawberry & Almond.

Nestle Health Science wants a piece of the grab-and-go breakfast market. Earlier this week, the Daily Dose of Dairy featured its new Carnation Breakfast Essentials Grab ‘n Go! This shelf-stable pouch product targeted to adults combines yogurt and fruit. Each 6-ounce pouch contains 190 calories, 4 grams of fat, 6 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber. The fiber comes from fructooligosaccharides and inulin sourced from chicory. The protein comes from the cultured milk as well as added whey protein concentrate. To read more about this product, link HERE.

To read more about the potential of the pouch package for dairy, link HERE.

Along with the pouch rollout comes Carnation Breakfast Essentials High Protein Complete Nutritional Drink. This is basically a higher-protein-with-fiber version of its original Carnation Breakfast Essentials Complete Nutritional Drink. The new offering contains 15 grams of protein per 8-ounce bottle, compared to 10 grams in the original. The high-protein version also contains 220 calories, 6 grams of fat, 12 grams of sugar and 3 grams of fiber. The fiber comes from fructooligosaccharides and inulin sourced from chicory. The protein comes from milk protein concentrate and soy protein isolate. Sugar content is kept low through the use of stevia.

Earlier this week, the Daily Dose of Dairy featured new Yoplait Plenti, which is a combination of Greek yogurt with fruits (except the vanilla variant), whole grain oats, flax and pumpkin seeds. Each serving provides 140 to 150 calories and 1.5 to 2 grams of fat, depending on variety, as well as 1 gram of fiber, 12 grams of sugar and 12 grams of protein. The protein comes from the cultured nonfat milk and the grains and seeds. The fat and fiber come from the grains and seeds. To read more about this product, link HERE.

Chobani was the first to combine Greek yogurt, fruit and oats when the company introduced Greek Yogurt Oats this past fall. To read more about this product, link HERE.

Others soon followed. Zen Monkey combines apple juice-infused rolled oats, diced fruit and Greek yogurt in a pre-mixed, ready-to-eat cup. Each container carries the tagline of “breakfast solved.” Each 5.3-ounce cup contains 180 to 190 calories, 1.5 to 2.5 grams of fat, 12 to 15 grams of sugar and 2 to 3 grams of fiber, depending on variety. Each serving also provides 9 grams of protein. To read more about this product, link HERE.

Yoatz combines Greek yogurt, whole fruit and oats. Each 5.3-ounce single-serve cup contains no fat, 11 grams of protein, 4 grams of fiber and a mere 6 grams of sugar. Described as “sugared responsibly,” the Original variety is slightly sweetened with honey and brown sugar. The fruit varieties rely on honey and stevia. To read more about this product, link HERE.

Some consumers prefer to drink their breakfast. Slingshot is a yogurt protein drink with a crunchy shot wrapped around the bottle neck and intended for the consumer to pour into the yogurt, shake and drink. That shot is a patented plastic stick pouch filled with chia seeds, rolled oats and toasted almond bits. It contributes 3 grams of fiber and 600 milligrams of the omega-3 alpha linolenic acid to the beverage. The beverage is made with low-fat yogurt enhanced with milk protein concentrate and sweetened with agave. A serving contains 295 to 355 calories, 10 to 11 grams of fat and 18 to 20 grams of protein, depending on variety. To read more about this product, link HERE.

With origins in Asia, Cereal Milk Drink is just what its name implies: a milk-based, cereal-enhanced drink. With a 24-month ambient shelflife, the 250-milliliter cans come in four varieties: Banana, Chocolate, Strawberry and Sweet Corn. To read more about this product, link HERE.

In the U.K., new Weetabix On The Go Breakfast Drink is a smooth, portable milk-based drink designed specifically for breakfast. The primary dairy components of the drinks are skimmed milk (51% to 64%, depending on variety), and milk protein concentrate. They also are enriched with vitamins, minerals and soluble wheat fiber. A serving contains 215 to 226 calories, 6.9 to 8.2 grams of fat, 8.5 to 9.5 grams of protein, 20 to 22 grams of sugar, depending on variety, as well as 5.8 grams of fiber. To read more about this product, link HERE.